It’s kind of funny how in the same day, I met the “War for the Planet of the Apes” cast (Andy Serkis, Steve Zahn, and Amiah Miller) and director (Matt Reeves) at an AOL Build event, and my mother’s friend gave me some delicious banana bread in the end.

“War for the Planet of the Apes” is a gripping threquel-the kind of conclusion we deserve to see in a trilogy, even if more movies may happen. I just love every aspect of the movie. The intro that explains what happened in “Rise” and “Dawn,” and what is happening in “War,” and those words printed in red, that’s nice look. The Simian Flu virus, which not only killed most of the human race, but took away some of the survivors’ ability to speak like in the 1986 movie, is totally compelling. And the concentration camps for the apes represents the human’s hatred towards them. This is another worthy entry.

Serkis wears the motion capture suit again as Caesar, the lead ape, who wants to lead his apes to freedom, after the sadistic Kobu (Toby Kebbell), whom he killed in “Dawn,” started the war between humans and simians. A few apes are on the humans’ side, because of how they followed Kobu. His wife (Judy Greer) and eldest son (Max Lloyd-Jones) both get murdered by a vicious colonel (Woody Harrelson), who runs a concentration camp for the apes. Caesar vows revenge, and travels there with his friends and cohorts.

Among the new characters they bring along, there is a human girl (Miller), who is affected by the Simian Flu virus, and a zoo-chimpanzee-turned-hermit (Zahn), who is learning to speak.

“War for the Planet of the Apes” ranks with some of the best conclusions for a trilogy with its emotional depth, true nature, fantastic performances (Serkis, Harrelson, Zahn, and Miller), action sequences, and challenging elements, which never condescend. I sat in a Dolby theater, experiencing it all, and even without the Dolby, it’s both risky and entertaining.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Categories: Action, Drama, Reboot, Sci Fi, Sequel, War